More in Store than Ever Before

With two working parents and two children under 10, the Melendez family was constantly on the go.

Nora Melendez enjoyed preparing the family’s meals, but with limited grocery store options near their home in Pascagoula, MS, she faced challenges getting to a grocery store with affordable and healthy food options.

“During the week, I didn’t have time to make the trip, but picking something up nearby could cost twice as much,” Melendez says. “It was always a choice between cost or convenience.”

Always cost-conscious, Melendez planned her weekends around trips to faraway stores. The lower prices were worth the trip on paper, but Melendez grew tired of spending her weekends on the road instead of with her family.
Melendez was able to reclaim her weekends thanks to HOPE’s Mid South Healthy Food Initiative, a program that provides commercial loans to open grocery stores in “food deserts,” areas lacking stores that offer healthy, affordable foods. With a loan from HOPE, a new Shoppers Value grocery store opened its doors in Pascagoula on June 1, 2017.

Shoppers Value operates on a cost-plus-10-percent model that has allowed Melendez to substantially cut her grocery bills and her mileage. Melendez was also surprised to discover that Shoppers Value offered a wider selection of the Hispanic foods she and her family enjoy.

“We are from Puerto Rico and we like to prepare the traditional foods served there,” Melendez says. “Shoppers Value carries the items we like to cook at home at prices we can afford.”

“Shoppers Value really focuses on serving the community,” Melendez continues. “I’m much happier now and I’m able to spend my money and my time closer to home.”